Door for ships&#39; bulkheads.



No. 629,790. Patented Aug. I, |899.

W. HOUGHTDN.

noon Fon sums' BULKHYEAD'S.

(Application Med Oct. 17. 1898.)

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Patented Aug. I, |899.

W H 0 U E H T 0 N (Appliation filed Get. 1'?, 1898;)

`IJJR FUR SHIPS BULKHEADS.

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Wl TN ESSE S s UNITED Srrnins;l OFFICE'.

WILLIAM I-IOUGHTOLVOF NEV YRIQ N. Y.

oooR FOR sl-uPs euhm-HEADSi SPECIFICATION-forming part of Letters PatentNo.6293790, dated August 1, 18.99.' Application filed Octoberl', 1898.Serial No. 693,732. (llo model.) v 'v i To @Zitzak/0m, t may concern: l

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HoUeHToN, a citizen ot the United States,residing in the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Doors forShips Bulkheads, Air-Locks, the., of which the following is aspecification. Y

The object of my invention is to provide a door that shall bewater-tight or air-tight, or substantially so, that can be readilyopened and closed, and that shall require but little space for itsinstallation and operation. Vith these objects in view I providev a doorframe or casing that is circular in crosssection and tapers from the topdownwardly. In it I arrange a correspondingly-tapered circular door,which is a hollow chamber with a proper opening or openings to coincideo r register with the openings in the door-frame. This door turns upon avertical axis coincident with the axis of the casing. Normally when thedoor is closed it seats itself in its tapered socket or casing, forminga substantially water or air tight joint. Then the door is partiallyrotated, it is caused to rise, thushpassing substantially out offrictional contact with its casing and may therefore be readily turnedto the desired position. In the case 'of doors for ships bulkheads Ialso provide an arrangement by which the door, if open, will beautomatically closed by the risemof water in either of the, compartmentswhich it connects.

Aside from these generalv features my invention embodies certain detailsof organization, all as hereinafter described. t

The interior face of the casing and the eX- terior face of the door maybe machine-iinished-f-that is to say, theylnay be turned or ground toproduce the most efficient and accurate lit.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a vertical section; Fig. 2, atransverse section therethrough on the line 2 d2; Fig. 3, a similarsection on the line3 3; Fig. 4, a similar section on the line 4 4:; Fig.5, an elevation at' right angles to Fig. 1, with the lower part brokenaway to show the rolls upon the bottom of the revolving door and theinclined tracks on the floor of the casing, upon which the rolls travel;Fig. 6, a plan view of Fig. 1; and Fig. '7, a transverse sectiontherethrough on the line 7 7. Figs. 8 to 14, inclusive, show t amodified form of my invention, Fig. 8 being a vertical section, Fig. 9atransverse section therethrough on the line 9 9, Fig. 10 a similarsection on the line 1010, Fig. 1,1 a simi lar section on the line 1111,Fig. l2 a side elevation at 'right anglesv to Fig- 8 with the lowerportionbrokeu away, Fig.,13 a plan view thereof, and Fig. 14 atransverse section therethroughontheline 14,14.

I will first describe the organization shown in Figs. 1 to 7.

d In Fig. 1, X represents a portion of apartition or ships bulkhead. Anopening is formed therein to which the cylindrical` casing or frame isapplied. This casing is shown as composed of two parts A, semicircularin cross-section and provided with flanges for attachment 'to thebulkhead. At the'bottom their circumference is continuous, and at asuitable distance above the bottomthey are f formed with openings whichconstitute the passage-way. Above these two parts are two solidsemicircular parts B, whose circumference andtops are continuous orunbroken,and which together form a closed cap for the doorframe and areprovided With flanges for attachment to the bulkhead and to theparts AA. This casing, throughout the `area occuv pied by the circular doorandlsomewhat above it, is tapered interiorly from/the top down- WardlylThe door C is a hollow cylindrical tapering body-formed with a closedbottoinC and opposite openings in its sides. closelywithin the casingand turnsy upon a pivot Cthat is stepped in a socket in the iioor of-the frame. At the top itdsformed l,with radial arms uniting inthe hubG3 at the center, andin this hub is keyed a short shaft It titsD,thathas its upper bearing inthe top of the capof the casing formed bythe parts B B. 0n the under side of the bottom of the circular door arelugs in whichare journaled the shafts of conical rolls E, which run uponthe circular tracks on the door of the casing. This track or circularpathzF- is divided into four equal parts, each of which is inclinedradially to coincide with the taper of the rolls. The track is alsoinclined circumferentially and has two opposite low parts f f, connectedat each side by a rising incline f', extending through approximately aquarter of the cir- .ICO

cle to the highest point f2, from which itl declines again to the lowestpoint f-that is to say, on each side ofa diametric line passing throughthe low portions f of the track the inclination of the track is upwardto its highest point and then downward again, the highest points of thetrack being in a line at right angles to the diametric line passingthrough the low points f. When the rolls are upon the lowest parts ofthese inclines, the circular door is closed and in its lowest position,as seen in sectional view Fig. 3, and is closely seated in the casing.When the door has revolved through a quarter of a revolution to bringthe openings coincident with the openings in the casing, the rollerstravel up the inclines and lift the door from its seat in the casi-ngand permit it to turn readily. In this position the friction andresistance to motion through the shafts and gearings is sufficient toholdA the door at rest in the open position with the rolls upon thehighest points of the track. It is. obvious that with su ch anorganization I obtain a tightly-fitting door of great strength, whoseoperation will not be materiallyimpeded or interfered with by pressureupon its sides, or either of them, and that may be rotated readily witha small expenditure of power.

The details thus far and hereinafter described mayof course be varied inmany ways obvious to those skilled in the art without departing from theprinciples ofconstruction and operation hereinbefore indicated.

The means which I have shown for controlling the operation of the doorare as follows: The winch G, located at a suitable point upon one faceof the bulkhead, has a drivingshaft extending through the bulkhead andequipped on each end with an operatingcrank. Through the medium ofsuitable gears a vertical shaft 1I may be rotated, and

' a beveled gear Il thereon meshes witha cordoor may therefore berotated to open or close it inthe manner already indicated. The beveledgears Il 113 slide upon their shafts and maybe controlled as follows: Apivoted lever 7L is connected with the beveled gear H' at one end, andfrom its opposite end extends downwardly a rod h', which, at its loweren d, is coupled to a lever h2, having one end pivoted in a stud orbracket on the deck below the floorlevel and carrying at its oppositefree end a oat 7L. The other beveled gear H3 is connected to one end ofa pivoted lever h4, from the opposite end of which extends downwardlyarod h5, which, at its lower end, is pinned to a pivoted lever 77,,similar to the lever h2, and having at its free end a suitable float. Asseen 'is located.

plainly in Fig. 5, one float is located on each side of the bulkhead,while both gears H H3 are located upon the same side of the bulkhead.The lever h4 therefore has its free end, to which the rod-h5 isconnected, on the opposite side of the bulkhead, its axis passingthrough a suitable bearing in the bulkhead. Normally when there is nowater in the space in which the floats are located thel Weight of theparts is sufficient to hold the beveled gears H H3 up in operativeconnection with the gears with which they engage. In the event, however,of water rising in the compartment on either side of the bulkhead thefloat in that compartment rises, and the end thrust of the vertical rodconnected with the lever 7i or h4 causes either the gear H or I-l3 topass out of engagement with its corresponding gear. Should thiscondition arise, the resistance opposed to the rotation ofthe door isremoved, and it then automatically turns, the rolls E running down theinclines of the track to the lowest points, when the door is closed andseated in its socket.

In Figs. 8 to '14, inclusive, i have shown a door constructed accordingto my inven-tion, which always closes the opening in which it Such adooris suitable as an airlock aboard ship where forced draft is used andalso where it is desired that the division al ships bulkheads betweenlarge compartments shall be maintained intact. The door casing or frameis the same as that already described, as is also the cylindrical door,except that it has but one opening leading into it, which in oneposition of the door communicates with one compartment and in the otherposition with the other compartment. The organization otherwise isor-may be the saine as that already described except in the followingrespects: The pinions H" IIS are f ast in their shafts, and the countershaft pinion, with which II gears, slides on a key or featherconnection. Its sleeve is connected with a lever or arm M, projectingfrom a rock-shaft m, turning in bearings in the bulkhead and havat eachend, in either side of the bulkhead, an arm or lever M. The shaft m hasa taper screw on having a correspondingly-shaped seat in the bearing, sothat when the gear on the counter-shaft is thrown into mesh with Il bythe manipulation of either lever M' it will so be held by the frictionalbinding of the rock-shaft in its socket. If these two pinions be out ofgear, a person in a compartment on either side of the bulkhead maythrowthem into gear and by means of the winch' G revolve the door until itsopening is turned toward that compartment. He may then disengage thegears and enter the cylindrical door, within which is mounted a winch N,having a bevel-gear N', adapted to mesh with a sliding bevel-pinion N2on a vertical shaft O when the latter pinion is moved upward by rod n bymeans of-a treadle pivoted on the iioorv of the door. The shaft O has atits upper end a spur-wheel O', gearing with an in- IIO ternally-gearedring O2, mounted within the cap B B of the door-casing. By this meansthe person within the door may revolve it until the opening is turnedtoward the other compartment. This requires a half-revolution of thedoor, and hence the rolls E E occupy the lowest portions of the trackwhen the door is in either position.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination of a tapering cylindricaldoor-casing having openings in its opposite sides, acorrespondingly-tapered cylindrical door seated and turning within thecasing and having an opening in its walls, and mechanism actuated fromeither side of the casing for turning the door andraising it from itsseat in the casing to bring its opening opposite either opening in thecasing.

2. The combination of a bulkhead, atapered cylindrical door-casingforming a part thereof and having openings communicating with therespective compartments separated by the bulkhead, acorrespondinglywapered hollow cylindrical door seated and adapted toturn in the casing and having one or more openings in its Wallscorresponding with the openings in the casing, mechanism for turning thedoor, and means located on each side of the bulkhead for at willoperating said mechanism.

3. The combination of a tapering cylindrical door-casing having openingsin its opposite sides, a correspondingly-tapered cylin- Vdrical doorseated and turning Within the casing and having an opening in its walls,radially-arranged rolls on the bottom of the door, the inclined circulartrack upon which the rolls run, and mechanism actuated from either sideof the door for rotating it.

4. The combination of a tapering cylindricaldoor-casing having openingsin its opposite sides, a correspondingly-tapered cylindrical door seatedand turning in the casing and having two openings in its Walls,radiallyarranged rolls on the bottom of the door, the inclined circulartrack upon which the rolls run, and mechanism actuated from either sideof the casing for rotating the door to bring either its openings or itssolid walls opposite the openings in the casing.

5. The combination of a tapering cylindrical door-casing having openingsin its op; posite sides, a correspondingly-tapered cylindrical doorseated and turning within the casing and having two openings in itswalls, radially-arranged rolls on the bottom of the door, the inclinedcircular track upon which the rolls run, and which has two low portionsand two intermediate high portions connected by inclines, mechanism forrotating the door to bring its openings opposite the openings in thecasing and its rolls upon the high points of the track and there holdingthem, and float devices for releasing the door and permitting it todescend and rotate by gravity having two openings in its Walls,mechanism for rotating and raising the door to bring its openingsopposite the openings .in the casing, and float devices for releasingthe door and permitting it to descend and rotate by gravity to bring itssolid walls opposite the openings in the casing.' t

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed rny name.

' WILLIAM HOUGHTON. Witnesses:

EDWARD C. DAVIDSON, FRED G. RING.

